Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 54968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
“Good.” How was that a problem? “Zara’s in there.”
“Not good at all, man. I’ve never seen those guys. They don’t work for us.”
All the blood ran from Kestrel’s face as he ran back out of the apartment and headed for the elevator. “Do you have eyes on them?”
He glanced at Phoenix. Phoenix was listening to the same conversation through his own comm unit.
“Yes. They’re still working to open the doors. They don’t have any equipment.”
Stay calm. She’s fine. “And you think the elevator is stuck on the fourth floor?”
“Affirmative.”
Kestrel rushed to the elevator doors. “Can you get these open for me?”
“I can,” Phoenix stated as he stepped up to a panel. He opened it, tapped several buttons, and then set his thumb on a pad.
Suddenly, the doors opened. Thank fuck.
Kestrel leaned over the open shaft to find the top of the elevator only a few feet below him.
“Make sure this elevator doesn’t start back up,” Phoenix commanded into the comm unit.
“On it,” Magnus stated. “I’ve disabled it. Can you get to her?”
“Yes. What’s the status of the men on the fourth floor?” Phoenix asked.
“They’re still working on it. One of them left. He just returned with a crowbar. Where the hell did he find a crowbar?” Magnus growled.
Kestrel was listening to them, but he had already jumped down on top of the elevator. The moment he landed, he heard Zara squeal. Without a word, he opened the escape hatch on the top, dropped onto his stomach, and leaned his head into the elevator.
She must have heard him land on the roof. She had her head tipped back and was squished into the corner of the elevator. When she saw him, her eyes widened.
“Take my hand, Little Swan,” he said as softly and calmly as possible.
A noise coming from the doors made her jerk her gaze in that direction.
Kestrel’s blood pressure shot through the roof. “Zara, Little girl, now. Take my hand.” He scooted his body closer and leaned in as far as he dared.
She was frozen with fear. He could read the signs. He could also hear the men on the other side of those doors grumbling. The sound of metal scraping against metal scared the fuck out of him.
“Zara,” he said louder. “I’m going to spank your butt so red if you don’t grab my hand. Now, Little girl.”
That seemed to reach her. She nodded before finally jerking herself to her feet to take two strides to get to him, reaching up with her hand at the same time.
The moment he could grab her, Kestrel wrapped his hand around her wrist and pulled. Thank God she weighed so little and didn’t fight him. He pulled her slim body up through the escape hatch, stood her on her feet next to him, and was just dropping the door back into place when the elevator doors slid open.
“Where is she?” one of the men yelled as he tipped his head back to look up.
Kestrel made eye contact with him. The fucker was lucky Kestrel’s only goal was to get his Little girl to safety. If she hadn’t been standing next to him in this elevator shaft, scared out of her mind, Kestrel would have jumped down into the elevator and taken all three of those men out with his bare hands. There was no telling what he might have done to them.
What made his blood boil strongest was the fact that he recognized that man. He was the same man who had gone on two helicopter excursions this week—the one who had aroused his suspicions.
Kestrel dropped the door back into place and stood on it. He needed to buy a few seconds. Turning to lift Zara by the waist, he delivered her into Phoenix’s strong hands, and the big man pulled her up in a massive display of strength and urgency.
“Please tell me someone is on their way to grab those assholes,” Kestrel shouted into the comm as he scrambled hand over hand up the elevator cable to haul himself out of the shaft. Without pausing, he grabbed Zara around the waist, lifted her into his arms, and rushed her into the fifth-floor living space as Phoenix worked his magic on the elevator doors.
Kestrel heard them slam shut and relaxed slightly. To his relief, Phoenix had already opened the door into their living area, leaving it for them to dash inside. Kestrel slammed it closed and secured it as soon as they were all inside. The fifth floor wasn’t a safe room like the basement, but it would take someone with a lot of gunpower or explosives to get through the door.
“They got away,” Magnus stated a moment later. “Caesar went up the stairs as fast as he could, but they’re gone. Rocco and Hawking are coming this direction. We’ve got eyes everywhere. We’ll try to intercept them before they get too far.”